


La Vie en Rouge

by MooeyDooey



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Brief mentions of Lightning Poi, But for now it's G, Canon divergent starting from around episode 17/18, Chapter 1 rated G, Chapter 2 will be added eventually and be rated E, M/M, Mollymauk finds makeup, Switch!Molly, Top!Caleb, caleb has a crisis, everything works out in the end, guest appearances by the rest of the mighty nein
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 06:52:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14711216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MooeyDooey/pseuds/MooeyDooey
Summary: A story in which Mollymauk Tealeaf has a flair for the dramatic, and Caleb tries his very hardest to not have feelings.





	La Vie en Rouge

**Author's Note:**

> Ive separated this fic into two chapters! First chapter is very innocent aside from some swear-wolves here and there. Chapter two will be NASTY. For you NASTY people out there. You know who you are.
> 
> The first chapter begins around the beginning of their stay in Zadash, and ends in a divergent timeline a few weeks/months later. 
> 
> Apologies if there's any mistakes, I didn't have a beta on this one. ;; Hopefully I caught them all! but typos might have happened 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 

 _Des yeux qui font baisser les miens_  
_Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche_  
_Voila le portrait sans retouches_ _  
De l’homme auquel j’appartiens_

 

“The Mighty Nein”. That was they name they had given their group. The proverbial golden plaque slapped on the front of a ragtag collection of misfits and outcasts. Despite their humble beginnings, they somehow worked together as a semi-effective unit.

Sure they had their bumps and stumbles along the way. Insults were traded occasionally. But at the end of the day, one way or another, they accomplished their goals.

Aside from Caleb and Nott, and Mollymauk and Yasha, none of them had any personal ties to anyone else. No favors owed, no allegiances. They worked together for profit, and Caleb assumed that had much do to with the success of their mission. 

Personal feelings were messy. As long as everything stayed professional, they’d continue to thrive.

Caleb was determined to be professional about the arrangement. Besides Nott, his dearest friend, whom he planned to take care of and travel with as long as he possibly could, he didn’t need to emotionally invest himself in anyone else around him. He knew he had the ability to be (mostly) polite, but distant.

Everything would have gone perfectly fine, without any problems, had it not been for some of the more exuberant personalities in the Mighty Nein.

It all started one day, when they accepted a freelance assignment from a paranoid nobleman.

Said nobleman was convinced that there was some assassination attempt brewing against him. To calm his fears (and for a healthy sum of gold pieces), the Mighty Nein agreed to a somewhat questionable plan, cooked up by the wealthy lord himself.

They’d stay for one evening in the nobleman’s home, while he and his wife stayed elsewhere. One of them would pretend to be asleep in the nobleman’s bed, disguised as him. The rest would patrol the halls, acting as guards, looking for any signs of forced entry or suspicious events.

Most likely, they wouldn’t find anything. The night would pass without incident, and they would collect a large sum of money for simply staying awake through the night in an empty mansion.

Their orders, were they to see any scoundrels about, was to attack. Ideally capture the fugitive alive for questioning, but kill if they must.

Despite the lack of risk in the situation, they still made a plan for the evening.

Mollymauk was chosen as the decoy for the nobleman. After some debate about the best decision for the job amongst the other adventurers, he offered himself up as a candidate.

“I have a decent reaction time, and I’m pretty sure I can keep awake,” he explained, before adding with a bright smile, “Besides! Worst case scenario, I get another one of these”. He motioned to the scars on his chest and neck, shrugging nonchalantly. Despite the dark turn his joke took, the group agreed it was the best option.

Jester was assigned to play the part of decoy for the lady of the house, once again with the justification that she was sturdy enough to take a potential hit. Surely, her reason for volunteering had nothing to do with the noblewoman’s separate, extremely extravagant sleeping chambers and fine silk sleeping clothes.

That left three jobs, split between the rest of them. Fjord and Beau would patrol the second floor of the mansion hallways, Yasha and Nott would patrol the first floor. Caleb would be stationed outside, using Frumpkin to patrol the outer grounds of the home and see if anything happened from outside.

They were allowed into the home a few hours before their evening began, some time after the two owners of the estate left. It gave them some time to explore in the daylight, to set traps, and to do whatever business they needed before their shift started.

At least, they were _supposed_ to be preparing. That’s what they had agreed on.

But a half hour later, as Caleb walked the halls with Nott to help her find good places to set traps, their work was interrupted by the muffled sound of laughter coming from behind one of the closed doors of the second floor hallway.

Caleb instantly recognized it as the Lady’s bedchambers, from the small map he had viewed with everyone else only a short time before. Caleb himself wouldn’t have paid it much mind, knowing it had to be two of their fellow team-members having some sort of casual conversation.

Nott, on the other hand, was already moving forward. Caleb could tell by the sour look on her face that she was not entirely thrilled. He briefly thought back to a previous conversation they had, where she complained about the expectations and suspicion some of the group had placed upon Caleb and Nott. 

Nott pressed her ear to the door for a moment, listening, before opening the door to the bed chambers and raising her voice.

“Oi!! We’re supposed to be working right now! What’s so funny?!” Nott asked.

The laughter that had previously been heard stopped, as both Molly and Jester turned to face Caleb and Nott.

They were both off to the side of the room, in front of an expensive looking vanity mirror. Jester stood, hands hovering over a large amount of beauty products laid out on the table. Mollymauk was sitting down in a chair in front of her, clearly acting as a canvas for Jester’s enthusiastic make-up artistry.

They had clearly just begun, as Mollymauk only had on the basics. A shade of eyeshadow. Black eyeliner.

And ruby red lipstick.

Mollymauk smiled at them.  

“Oh, Hello. Care to join us?”

Nott entered further into the room, fists shaking.

“What are you doing?!” she asked.

Caleb stayed in the doorway, not moving.

Mollymauk put one of his arms around Jester, and gave her an affectionate half-hug. “Why, I’m here to visit my darling wife before bed!” he said, voice dipping with dramatic inflection.

This made Jester giggle, her grin widening. “There’s so much makeup here!! This is almost as much as my mom had! … Hey, do you think that the lord and lady went to separate secret houses? You know, because they have seperate bedrooms and probably don’t like each other very much?”

“We’re SUPPOSED to be working!” Nott responded, not playing into Mollymauk’s and Jester’s shenanigans. “She’s going to notice we used her makeup!”

“Will she? There certainly is a lot of it,” Molly said, looking towards the vanity.

“Besides even if she does it’s not like she’ll notice until after we have the money. And we’re not even trying to be stealthy or anything so we don’t need to cover our tracks,” Jester said.

Nott looked ready to explode with fury.

That was just enough to snap Caleb out of his brief pause in the doorway. He moved into the room and placed his hands gently down on top of Nott’s head.

“It’s fine,” he said, calmly. Once he felt Nott pause, and knew she wasn’t getting any angrier, he turned to look at Molly and Jester.

Truthfully, it did bother him slightly. He and Nott had been on ‘thin ice’ for a while, and yet his teammates still did silly frivolous actions like this. It didn’t seem fair, but it also didn’t seem worth a tense confrontation.

“Nott’s right. You shouldn’t be playing with things that don’t belong to you, I think our employer wouldn’t be happy with that. But we won’t raise a fuss. Do whatever you will. Let’s go, Nott,” he said.

Caleb turned himself and Nott around, leaving the two tieflings behind to their tomfoolery.

He left quickly, had to get himself out of that room as quickly as possible.

For Nott’s sake of course. She was upset. She needed to ‘vent’.

There had been a strange atmosphere in the room. A tension Caleb wasn’t used to.

It was his professionalism that guided him out of the room with Nott.

And it was his professionalism that kept his eyes locked onto Jester’s disappointed pout the whole time, instead of Mollymauk’s face.

* * *

 

Apparently, someone had actually tried to make an assassination attempt on the nobleman that very night 

It took all of them by surprise. Especially Mollymauk, who just barely escaped from having his head cut clean off a few hours after midnight.

Despite the shock, they had been prepared for a potential incident, and therefore took down the assassin successfully. They delivered the culprit, alive, to the nobleman when he returned the next morning, and received an even larger sum of money for the job well done.

With their purses filled again, they took a few days off. Plenty of time to re-set their internal clocks, to get used to early mornings again, and to celebrate and spend the money they earned.

One of those mornings, Mollymauk was awake hours before anyone else in the group. Mollymauk was not usually the earliest riser, so this itself was somewhat a surprise.

Not as much of a surprise as the new addition to his visage, red lipstick.

One by one the adventurers came down to the tavern from their rooms, and one by one expressed vague shock and Mollymauk’s new look.

Caleb and Nott were the last to join the others.

The moment she noticed the color on Molly’s lips, Nott, without hesitation, had a conniption. Caleb was forced to hold onto her, keeping her contained before she jumped Molly.

“THAT’S THE RICH LADY’S LIPSTICK! YOU TOOK IT WITH YOU DIDN’T YOU?!” Nott screeched at the top of her lungs whilst she flailed. “APOLOGIZE RIGHT NOW! APOLOGIZE TO CALEB!”

It took a few hectic minutes of shushing from everyone before Nott calmed down enough to hear out Mollymauk’s explanation. After filling Fjord, Beau, and Yasha in on the events Nott was referring to, Mollymauk explained.

“I didn’t take anything with me! I swear, I memorized the brand written on the packaging, went out early this morning and bought my own,” Mollymauk said. He slipped a slim tube out from one of his pouches, holding it out for anyone who wished to inspect it. “And it was _very_  expensive. Worth every penny, right?”

As the other members of their party inspected it, each able to confirm how it looked as though it had only been used once, Mollymauk spoke up once more. “... This is the part where you compliment me, and tell me how good this shade looks against my skin tone?”

It took a good deal of coaxing and fishing for compliments from Mollymauk to get the amount of positive feedback he wanted, but in the end he was satisfied with the praise he gathered.

They weren’t wrong. It looked fine. Even Fjord had to admit it wasn’t a bad look.

Not a bad look at all.

The reason Caleb wasn’t looking, why he had focused all of his attention on his morning coffee, was because he wasn’t interested.

It was a fine look, like any person with makeup on.

But Caleb was a professional. And professionals did not compliment each other’s personal appearances.

So it was just fine, and nothing more.

* * *

 Members of the Mighty Nein had become quite accustomed to Mollymauk’s friendly kisses. The tiefling’s affectionate gestures towards his friends were as common as the amount of bathing-based humor made at Caleb’s expense (which was quite frustratingly commonplace, despite the fact Caleb willingly accompanied everyone to the public baths _every_  time they wanted to go).  

In fact, nothing about the frequency of Mollymauk’s kisses and affection had changed. But said frequency was suddenly very visible.

They had a group discussion about the matter at hand one saturday morning, moments after Molly left them all to go on a solo errand. But not before he went around the table, planting his lips firmly on each and every member of the mighty nein before sauntering off out the door.

“... Is this going to be like, a _thing_  now? Forever?” Beau questioned, scowling while wiping at the offending kiss mark on her cheek with the back of her hand. “Because it was cute at first, but I’m starting to get tired of it.”

“Where is it?! I know it’s there…” Nott said, desperately trying to examine her forehead without the use of any reflective surfaces. Once she determined she couldn’t see her forehead by looking upwards, her hands set off to work, furiously rubbing all over her face, somehow dragging over every inch of skin besides the one section that bore Mollymauk’s bright red kiss mark.

“I hate to complain about something so harmless…” Fjord remarked, arms crossed, resigned to wait until he could excuse himself from the table back up to his room to wash his own mark away. “... But I’m inclined agree with Beau on this one. Yesterday he snuck one on me, and I had to explain myself to some poor old woman at the market. Plus it’s a real sonuvabitch to wash off."

“It is!” Beau replied. “Seriously, even if you get all the color off there this weird sticky residue it leaves behind? What the fuck’s up with that?”

“Oh you guys are no fun at all,” said Jester, face covered in at least a dozen quick-fire smooches. “It comes off like, super easy with a little bit of soap! At least you’re not like Caleb, who would probably disintegrate if he touched soap because he is made of dirt.”

Instead of speaking up, to insist he does indeed use soap when it is available and inexpensive, Caleb stared at the back of his hand. Despite being the very last to receive a small peck from Mollymauk, he had a well formed kiss mark there. The exact shape of Molly’s lips, where they had been politely pressed against Caleb’s skin for only a moment.

“He will stop on his own. Soon,” Yasha assured the group. She had already removed the mark Molly left on one of her cheeks, and had started working on the second one she knew he had tried to sneak onto her forehead. Her voice was unphased, speaking as gently as she did any time she brought up one of her dear friend’s peculiar behaviors.

“He’s done this before. Not with lipstick exactly… but things like this,” she continued. The large and intimidating woman didn’t even need to raise her voice to get the full attention of everyone in the group, even as Nott continued to claw helplessly at her face.

“If it bothers you, I’m sure you can bring up your concern with him and he will stop. But this phase will pass soon enough, either way.”

“Yeah so stop being big giant babies about it and buy soap!” Jester said. “Or just go to Pumat’s a lot. I think he likes us because we buy a _lot_  of expensive stuff at his shop so we can probably get a whole ton of free magical cleanings.”

“Or maybe… we can get some enchanted lipstick for him? You know, with some sort of spell that makes it so there’s no marks?” Beau said, deep in thought.

“I think such a lipstick already exists, without magic…” said Yasha. “Besides. I think the reason he likes the lipstick so much is _because_  the marks-”

“It does exist! I use it all the time, it’s really very good!” Jester said. “Yasha, I did not know you knew so much about makeup!”

This seemed to make Yasha slightly bashful, lowering her gaze slightly. “Well… most of what I wear is quite basic, but I do like makeup,” she explained. As mysterious and curt as ever, that was all the information she seemed willing to give.

The conversation diverged after that, as Jester tried to pry as much information out of Yasha as she possibly could, and Beau starred in Yasha’s direction with fascination and wonder.

Caleb frowned, and his eyes remained focused on his hand. He stared at it as if the mark could gain sentient life, leap off of his skin and slap him across the face the second he took his eyes away from it.

* * *

 Thus began the creation of an entirely new problem, that Caleb was horrendously ill-equipped to deal with.

From that point forward, he was possessed by what could be described as nothing less than a hyper-focus on Mollymauk’s mouth.

Caleb was the very definition of a withdrawn and subtle man, so no one around him seemed to notice the difference. He never dared to do anything more than glance in the tiefling’s direction from the corner of his eye, but Caleb was still painfully aware of every movement Mollymauk made (which was, for the record, _many_ movements indeed. The man flourished any time he wasn’t listening.)

Any time Caleb observed anything for long enough, he began to notice unique things about it.

Mollymauk was no different.

Mollymauk had a collection of smiles, very specific facial quirks for every occasion.

He had a smile for meeting strangers, non-threatening and friendly but still adequately guarded. He had a smile specifically for the Mighty Nein, as if they were somehow long time companions instead of a shambled team of mercenaries who met less than a year ago. He had a smile for when he was right about something, when only the corner of his mouth would curl up with an air of smug confidence. A smile for comforting commonfolk who had lost family in monster attacks, soft and gentle that didn’t quite reach up to his eyes.

His mouth was expressive, so different from Caleb’s own that could only manage three positions (frown, slight smile, and resting Zemnian face).

Mollymauk’s mouth curled around every word he said. Even when he wasn’t talking his mouth was doing something. Pouting, lightly biting down on his lower lip, frowning ever so slightly to express disapproval. 

Caleb knew that Mollymauk had inherited a common tiefling trait, the ability to charm a person using only verbal commands. Caleb knew the source of the magic had something to do with Molly's tongue, but his lips moved differently when he was casting the spell. His whole mouth commanded attention so strongly it started to appear in Caleb's dream, make him wake up sweating and breathing heavily, before he had to stop looking all together any time Mollymauk used Devil's tongue. 

Caleb was able to convince himself that his interest in Mollymauk was simple curiosity the first few times he caught himself staring. Mollymauk was an intriguing (also see: gaudy) man, there was nothing shocking about wanting to look at him.

The next dozen times were harder to justify. The following dozen times began to frustrate him.

Plenty of things about the situation frustrated Caleb.

He was frustrated because the situation should have been easily solved. Any time he had a mental image or thought, whether good or bad, that he didn’t want to think about, he simply filed it away for later. He knew how to distract himself, how to shut out the rest of the world around him and escape into books and scrolls.

He was frustrated because every time his eyes skimmed over the word ‘red’ in the text before him his eyes would pause, his chest constricted, and he was thrown off his rhythm for a moment.

He was frustrated because…

And he was frustrated because it wasn’t Molly’s fault.

It would have been far easier if Mollymauk had behaved as he had during the first weeks of their mutual alliance. Back when he made obvious excuses to move into Caleb’s space, when he shamelessly hovered and stared at Caleb without hesitation.

But something about their interactions had changed well before the Mighty Nein’s mission to the nobleman’s mansion. There had been no catalyst, no confrontation. Without explanation, Mollymauk’s flirtatious quips dwindled. He was just as friendly and boisterous as ever, always offering up a bright smile Caleb’s way when the wizard would glance his way. But there was nothing behind that smile anymore. No secret promises, no mysterious charm, just a respectful flash of bright pointed teeth before he looked away.

Caleb, who normally averted his own eyes the moment anyone so much as glanced in his direction, had become very familiar with the side-view of Mollymauk’s face.

And the side-view of those damn, red-tinted lips.

* * *

 Caleb bathes eventually. With soap, but he doesn’t scrub the back of his hand.

A week later, they visit Pumat Sol’s store after a particularly muddy adventure. The full lot of them get a free magic cleaning, and the faded red stain finally disappears for good.

Caleb notices the next time he removes his ragged gloves, and tries not to look disappointed.

* * *

 Weeks later, they move onto another town.

As Yasha predicted, Mollymauk goes from wearing the lipstick daily, to every other day, then stops wearing it all together. He suddenly picks up an interest in learning something called “Lightning Poi”.

Caleb no longer has an excuse for the way his chest feels when he looks at anything with an overwhelming amount of red or purple on it. He avoids anything with bright colors as best as he can, and tries to convince himself that everything is back to normal, same as it was before.

* * *

 

As Caleb takes a watch shift one evening, he feels a familiar gentle magical buzz around his head, as a voice speaks into his mind.

“Knock Knock, Caleb it’s me. Nott,” Nott says, via message spell. “Do you copy? … You can reply to this message.

Nott always announced herself to Caleb when she sent her messages, despite the fact he knew it was her. It made Caleb smile every time.

“Yes, I copy. Shouldn’t you be asleep right now? Your shift is after mine.” Caleb used the automatic reply from Nott’s spell to respond, while he dug his own wire out of his pocket to use for his next response.

“Right. Well the thing is, I can’t sleep right now. Fjord’s making noises and I don’t know if he’s sleep-farting or sleep-talking but either way I’m getting out of here. I’m coming over,” Nott said. “Do you not have your wire? Do you need me to bring over another one? You can reply to this message.”

“No no, it’s right here,” Caleb said, this time sending back a silent message with his own use of a cantrip. “Just bring yourself and something soft to sit upon.”

Caleb paused, waiting for Nott’s response.

After a few moments, Caleb said “You can reply to this message.”

“Right!” Nott responded, immediately. “I’ll be there soon, you can’t reply to this message over and out.”

Caleb chuckled, and pocketed the wire.

Nott was by his side a few minutes later, arms full of soft blankets. Once she was settled and comfortable in her newly built blanket nest, she pulled out her prized enchanted flask from her robes, taking a long sip.

“Don’t have too much of that, your shift is after mine,” Caleb softly chided. “... If you want, you can sleep here before your shift. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to switch.”

Nott shook her head. “Naw! I’m not really that tired. Besides, I thought you could use some company.”

“Thank you, my friend,” Caleb said, giving her head an affectionate pat. “... in that case,I shall stay awake and keep you company through your shift as well.”

“Sooo... what you’re saying is, I _can_ drink all the alcohol I want,” Nott replied mischievously. It was enough to make Caleb laugh again.

The two talked quietly for a while, as time passed out of Caleb’s shift and into Nott’s. After their voices merged with the quiet night atmosphere, no longer at risk of waking any of the others, Nott seemed to steer their conversation in a more targeted direction.

Caleb had had a feeling she had joined him during his watch for a reason, and was surprised that the usually impatient goblin took so long to get to her objective.

“Hey Caleb?” Nott asked. 

“Yes, Nott?”

“So I’ve noticed you’ve been a little… preoccupied lately. Is that the right word for it?” Nott asked.

“Lately as in previously or not very long ago? Or lately as in sluggishly, because if that’s the case then no, I don’t think it is,” Caleb said.

“Not that one! You space out sometimes but you’ve been doing it a _lot_ more than usual recently. Is everything ok?”

The look of genuine concern on Nott’s face softened Caleb’s heart yet again. He sighed, shaking his head ever so slightly.

“... I’m fine, Nott. Really. I’m sorry I have troubled you,” he said, all notes of dry sarcasm gone from his tone. “I’m afraid I’m not quite sure of what’s going on myself. It’s nothing to be concerned about, I am as healthy as I usually am. Just… preoccupied, as you said.”

“You know, you can talk to me about it if you need help. Talking about things is _very_ helpful,” Nott said.

“I know. And it’s not that I do not trust you. I trust you more than anyone in the world,” Caleb explained. “But it’s not that easy for me to speak about. I can’t even think about it in my own head, let alone talk to someone else about it.”

Nott seemed to take that in, face screwing up for a moment while she sat deep in thought.

“Hmm… oo! I know!” Nott announced, a triumphant grin breaking out over her face. “What if we use a secret coded message, so it’s easier to talk about?”

Caleb frowned slightly, trying to follow Nott’s reasoning.

“For example,” Nott said, raising her hands in the air, ready to accentuate every word possible with ‘air quotes’. “Instead of calling it a _problem_ we can call it a _bear infestation_. And we can say you are trying to _contain_  your _bears_. Hmm?”

Caleb looked at Nott’s face for a few moments, giving the topic of discussion genuine thought and consideration.

“... Well, yes. I suppose you could say I’m trying to ‘contain my bears’. If one has bears you _should_ keep them contained somewhere. An infestation of bears would be terrible for the local community, I imagine they would cause destruction where ever they go,” Caleb said.

“Well, sure. I feel bad for the _’bears’_ though. They probably feel pretty _’cramped’_ if you are keeping them _’contained’_ all the time,” Nott said.

“Perhaps. But like I said, the only alternative to cramped bears is destruction and the potential for plenty of bear poop that someone else will have to clean up. So I think I’ll have to keep my bears contained,” Caleb said.

“How do you know that? When’s the last time you released your bears, Caleb?” Nott asked.

“... I’m starting to get a little bit lost in this metaphor,” Caleb said.

“Just roll with it,” said Nott.

“Right. Well… the last time I released any of my bears was many, many years ago. It didn’t go very well, and it made me want to keep my bears very very close and not allow them to wander again,” Caleb explained.

“Have you thought that maybe the reason why your bears get so destructive any time you let them out is because you keep them locked up most of the time? Maybe if you let them out on walks every now and then they wouldn’t eat your neighbors every time you let them off the leash,” said Nott.

Caleb smiled softly.

It was hard to argue with Nott. She was very clever, and could be very convincing when she was set on something.

“I… may need to do some more research. On bears. I want to be prepared for what may happen if I were to let them free… but you might be right. And at some point… maybe not now. Maybe not soon. But… perhaps I can. ‘Take my bears on a walk’,” Caleb said, emphasizing the last bit with air quotations.

Nott didn’t seem thrilled, but satisfied with the answer nonetheless. She nodded her head, pausing before leaning affectionately against Caleb.

“... Good. And just remember. If you ever need help, or someone to talk to. I’m here,” she said.

Caleb’s heart swelled with emotion. He felt his eyes sting slightly, and a tightness in his throat he was barely able to swallow down. He wrapped an arm around Nott, gently.

“Thank you, my friend. I shall take you up on that offer some day.”

* * *

 The first night after they entered the next town and settled into a tavern to use as a home base, Caleb found a book laid out on his bed for him from the local market.

In bright gold letters across the cover it read: _‘Talk it out! The layman’s guide to sharing your feelings with others’_

Caleb rolled his eyes, but still browsed the first chapter before making a mental note to accidentally “lose” it sometime in the near future.

* * *

Only 6 days after his enlightening conversation with Nott, weeks or perhaps months before he intended to act upon any of his inner desires, Caleb found himself face to face with the problems he was intent on avoiding.

It happened after an evening meeting in the tavern. When all their plans laid out for what they would do the following day and there was nothing left to do but retire for the evening, a familiar hand grasped Caleb’s shoulder.

It was Mollymauk Tealeaf, who had been uncharacteristically quiet and reserved while the group discussed business, who hadn’t worn anything flashy or extravagant aside from his usual jewels and red robes, who currently had a slightly sour look on his face as he bent down to meet Caleb’s gaze as best as he could.

“Are you busy?” Molly asked.

Caleb glanced at Mollymauk’s face for a moment, long enough to register who was speaking to him and what the general ‘mood’ of the conversation was, before his eyes darted down to look at his finished drink on the table.

Caleb paused, trying to recall if he had any viable excuses for leaving the conversation. Sadly, there were none. “... no. I was just about to head upstairs.”

“Excellent! That’s exactly where I was going. Mind if we take a detour first?” Molly asked, hand still clamped down firmly on Caleb’s shoulder. Before Caleb wrongfully misinterpreted the invitation as something he could delay or skirt around, Mollymauk added “We need to talk.”

Caleb sighed, resigned to his fate. “Fine,” he said. Mollymauk’s hand gave his shoulder a soft pat before pulling away, so Caleb could stand up. “Will this be a long conversation?”

“Depends,” Mollymauk replied.

“Depending… on?” Caleb asked.

“On whether or not you cooperate.” Mollymauk’s eyes scanned the room, before making a decision. He led the two of them to a side door, out into the small alleyway between the inn they were staying and one of the other city buildings.

Once they were both in the alley, door closed behind them, Mollymauk made his way to a wooden cask. He gave it a light kick with the side of his foot, making sure it wouldn’t wobble, before sitting on top of it. He made himself comfortable, clearly intent on staying for as long as he needed to get the information he desired out of Caleb, arms crossed over his chest.

“Now… _what_ is your problem with me?” Mollymauk asked.

Caleb paused, looking at Mollymauk’s face, his mouth, too confused to avert his gaze to a more comfortable place. “... my what?”

“Come now, let’s get it all out,” Mollymauk said. When Caleb didn’t immediately reply, he groaned. It was hard to tell with his lack of pupils, but the rest of his face made up for expressing his mood as he rolled his eyes. He changed his strategy, getting directly to the point.

“You’ve been pissed at me about something for _weeks_ now. Any time I sit near you, you stand up and move away. When Fjord suggested the two of us work together when we have to search the city tomorrow you looked like you were about to throw up. Was it something I said? Because I _no_ idea what I did wrong, and I can’t apologize if I have no idea what you’re mad about,” Mollymauk said. He seemed genuinely frustrated.

Caleb couldn’t break his concentration away from Mollymauk. His hands, once loose at his sides, anxiously curled into fists. “... I’m not angry.”

Mollymauk let out a loud, performative laugh. “Ha! So I see we’re having the long discussion then. Very well, if that’s how you want it,” he said. “I’ve got no-where to be. I can sit here all night!”

“I’m not angry.”

“Then what is it? Honestly, Caleb, what am I supposed to do around you?” Molly asked. Even with the good 3 feet of space between them, Caleb still felt overwhelmed by the tension and friction in their conversation.

“I feel like no matter what I do or say to you, you hate it. If you want me to fuck off and leave you alone feel free to do that, I’ll fuck right off. But you have to give me _something_ to go off of,” Mollymauk said.

At this point, the tiefling’s voice wavered, less confident than his usual self.

“... Really, whatever it is you want. I’ll do it. Just… tell me. Please.”

Caleb could have done plenty of things to logically de-escalate the situation.

He could have lied, gone with Mollymauk’s set-up and told the tiefling man sitting across the alley that he didn’t wish to be anything more than a distant acquaintance.

He could have calmly written off his behavior as the product of some other unknown stress, and taken the blame off of Molly while still maintaining their comradeship.

Caleb believed in careful planning. It was essential for him to know what his plan was before every battle, before every meeting, before every social situation.

There was a good reason he couldn’t trust his gut instinct. Because it was his gut instinct alone that made his quickly cross the alleyway until he was standing between Mollymauk’s legs, pull the tiefling as close to the edge of the wooden cask as he could, and kiss him firmly on the mouth.

Time did not stand still in that moment, but both Caleb and Molly remained frozen on the spot. Caleb’s arms wrapped around Mollymauk, Molly’s hands raised ever so slightly in the air since his first instinct to Caleb’s sudden movement was to put his hands up non-threateningly (apparently expecting a punch), and both of their mouths still pressed together, unmoving.

That was the moment Caleb’s mind caught up with the situation, and one clear thought entered his mind.

‘ _Oh_ **_sheisse_** ’

Caleb removed his arms from Mollymauk, moved his head quickly to the side, and muttered a low attempt at an apology or an excuse to leave immediately. Unfortunately for Caleb, as soon as his lips parted from Mollymauk’s, the tiefling man snapped out of his trance. Like an activated trap, Mollymauk grabbed hold of Caleb’s shoulders and the back of his head, legs and tail wrapped around Caleb’s waist, and held him firmly in place.

Panicked by the sudden entrapment and his inability to move away, Caleb’s gaze flicked back up to Mollymauk’s face.

He almost wished Mollymauk looked angry, or disappointed. It would have been easier to read than whatever expression he currently had on.

Mollymauk broke the silence first.

“Caleb?” he asked, softly. Caleb could barely hear it over the pounding of his heart, hammering in his chest all the way up to his ears.

“... I’m… I’m sorry I-”

“No. No, no… don’t apologize,” Mollymauk cut in. His voice was tender, smooth, as comforting as a velvet cloak. “Please don’t. No one should have to apologize for sharing such a gift.”

“God, How do you do that?” Caleb asked, trying his hardest to speak steadily, though his voice insisted on shaking and wavering.

“Do what?”

“Everything you say sounds like you are reading poetry… you always say the perfect thing in every scenario,” Caleb said.

Even though he had averted his gaze, he could just about see the corners of Mollymauk’s mouth turn up into a smile, and heard him chuckle. The sound sent a shiver up Caleb’s back, drawing even more heat to his neck and face.

“Honestly, I tend to just say the first thing that comes to mind. There’s not much of a science or reason behind it,” Mollymauk said. Slowly, as if the motion would break them out of whatever moment they found themselves in, Mollymauk moved the hand he had on the back of Caleb’s head, stroking the tips of his nails gently through Caleb’s hair. “... I guess this means… you don’t hate me?”

“Of course I don’t,” Caleb said. The feeling of Mollymauk’s nails against his scalp was a strange, foreign sensation. It made him just as nervous as any new experience felt, but soon found himself relaxing into it.

“I can’t believe it…” Mollymauk said, awestruck. “I’ve been worried sick. I wasn’t exactly subtle about my interest in you… I thought I accidentally barked up the wrong tree.”

“No, your barking was fine. I can’t say I was comfortable with it… yet I never disliked it,” said Caleb. “There’s plenty here that I still don’t understand. And some of it terrifies me… but I know you’re a good man. And I know I enjoy your company. And…”

Caleb trailed off, trying to find a way to voice the last thought that went through his head.

Mollymauk waited patiently for Caleb to take the time he needed to speak, and soon the wizard spoke up again.

“And I know that whatever this is, between us… I want more of it. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never wanted anything more than I want whatever it is I’m feeling right now.”

Caleb was lost in his thoughts for a moment, gently nudged out of it as Mollymauk rested his forehead against Caleb’s.

“God, I hope this isn’t a dream. Or some illusion or spell or duplicate,” Mollymauk said. He drew back for a moment, actually checking Caleb to confirm once again he was solid, living flesh, standing in front of him. Once he was satisfied with his search he leaned back in, pulling Caleb into a hug.

“And you say you’re not a smooth talker… what you just told me is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Next time you say something like that I’m going to swoon, you’ll have to catch me,” Mollymauk said.

Caleb turned his head in, hiding the small smile on his face in the crook between Mollymauk’s shoulder and neck, content with saying nothing in response. 

He didn't need to reply. He had everything he needed in his arms, even if he didn't quite understand it yet. 

 

_Hold me close and hold me fast_

_That magic spell you cast_

_This is La Vie en Rose_

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will be THE N-N-N-NASTY LOVE. This chapter was mostly lead up and indirect development stuff, next chapter will have more direct interactions and explore the SENSUALITY. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you enjoyed it!!! It’s a little hard to write for Widomauk rn because there’s so much we don’t know but I hope this sufficed and holds up well later in canon! Next chapter will come out some time in the next few weeks stay tuned
> 
> P.S. Lightning Poi! It's like fire poi, but with 50% less control and 50% more danger


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